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California Pre-Doctoral Program

Pre Doctoral ProgramThe California Pre-Doctoral Program

The California Pre-Doctoral Program provides financial assistance for students interested in exploring and preparing for a doctoral program. These funds are designed to enable current CSU students to explore and prepare to succeed in doctoral programs in their chosen field of study. Awards are based on competitive review of student applications and given to current upper-division or graduate students who demonstrate academic excellence while experiencing economic or educational disadvantage. The funds may be used for students to visit U.S. doctoral-granting institutions, obtain membership in professional organizations, subscribe to academic journals, GRE preparation, and to cover the cost of graduate school application and test fees, and also provides an opportunity to participate in a funded summer internship opportunity.

Dollar Amount: $5,000 + opportunity to apply for a funded summer internship.

Want to learn more about this funding opportunity? Sign up to attend an information session. All sessions begin at Noon.

Sign up here!

Application Deadlines for AY 2025-26:

  • The application will open on December 2, 2024.

  • Internal application review (optional) deadline is January 17, 2025*.

  • The application submission deadline is February 14, 2025.

*The Internal Campus Review is not required but strongly recommended. Your application draft will be reviewed by a CSUSB faculty review committee who will then provide feedback on your application. You can then review their suggestions, make any desired updates and then submit by the application deadline.

Application Information:

  • This is a sample application packet to help guide you through the process. You will submit your application online by the due date (link and internal deadline coming soon). While you are not required to go through a preliminarly application review, we encourage you to submit your application early so our faculty review committee can provide feedback before you submit it. 
  • For more information or questions regarding your application please contact the program coordinator, April Lane, or call (909) 537-7381.
  • Unsure about how to find a faculty mentor? Here is some information that may help: Finding a Faculty Mentor
  • Here is an example of a completed budget: Sample Budget Worksheet

Awarding: Sally Casanova Scholars are selected by the Chancellors Office on the basis of three major criteria: potential for success in completing a doctoral program, probable effectiveness of the student/faculty plan, and level of economic and educational disadvantage.

Congratulations to our 2024-2025 CSU Sally Casanova California Pre-Doctoral Scholars: Benjamin Roath, Erick Herrera, Evy Zermeno, and Gary Williams! Read more about our Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars in the July 29. 2024 edition of Inside CSUSB.

Chancellor’s Office WebsiteCA Pre-Doctoral Program